Home Sweet Home
by CharlieSMarts12
Summary: He returns much to her displeasure. But will it always stay that way?
1. His explanation

** Malik Pov**

I cautiously approached the outside of Garside Grange, breathing heavily. The place looked emptier than it used to be and I had noticed how old the building was becoming. Had I really been away that long?

I once again checked my reflection in a nearby window. I did look pretty much the same but more colder, more like a vampire.

I rapped hard on the door. I was surprised to find the door had opened almost immediately.

"Piers, I already told you, I don't need your..." Ingrid stared back at me, her face holding almost the same expression as mine did. Shock, then doubt, then anger, then back to doubt. She had already dropped the glass of red blood she was holding and her blue eyes did not blink once.

She lifted her hand and for one second I thought she was going to hit me.

She slapped herself hard on her pale white cheek.

* * *

**Ingrid Pov**

The last person I expected to see at the door was him. It couldn't have been him. But it was.

It was him and the second his eyes made contact with mine, I knew.

But how? He had died. It wasn't possible.

"What's your name?" I suddenly spoke voice cracking with every effort. I realised then how stupid I must have looked.

His voice came, clear as it had always been, "Malik. Malik Vaccaria"

I gasped and clasped my hands behind my back pinching myself repeatedly.

It wasn't him, it couldn't be. Maybe this was someone pretending to be him, an unknown twin of his maybe..

I shakily drew a deep breath.

"No really, who..who are you?" I asked.

He frowned slowly confused, "I'm Malik Vaccaria, Ingrid, you remember me don't you?"

He looked truly confused and maybe even upset. Whoever this fraud was, he was good, I'll give him that.

I slowly reached for the stake hidden in the back of my torn tights. I'd keep him talking till I knew more.

"Of course I remember you Malik.." I started.

"Good! Well let me in then.." he said angrily.

I wrapped my hand around the stake and pointed it towards him.

"No".

* * *

**Malik Pov**

She held the stake out towards me fearfully.

"Ingrid..?" I asked bewildered. I tried to stay calm. I'd left her all those years ago and she wasn't to happy to see me again. I suppose I had to pay the price for that.

"Don't talk. I'll ask the questions. You just answer them. Got it?"

I nodded terrified.

"You can't ever be Malik, however hard you try to explain yourself. Do you know why? Because Malik died. So really, who are you?," Ingrid's hand shook as she stared at me.

"I.. I'm Malik" I started, shocked that she thought I was dead.

"No. You. Are. Not!" Ingrid edged towards me furiously.

I held up my hands, "Can't I explain myself?"

She nodded rigidly, "Do it in one word. Any more than one and you'll be dead"

I thought hard.

"Elizabeta"

* * *

**Ingrid Pov**

I was shocked.

"A-are you Elizabeta? Answer yes or no"

"No" he replied.

Phew!

"Only answer in one word. Is Elizabeta alive?"

"Perhaps"

The stranger in front of me didn't seem to know. I moved onto my next question.

"Did you ever die?"

"No"

"If you never died, how come I saw you die?"

He shrugged.

"Where have you been staying?"

"Pond"

* * *

**Malik Pov**

Ingrid looked even more shocked.

"A lake?"

"Yes"

"Did your mother stay in the pond with you?"

"No"

Ingrid breathed in deeply.

"So, are you saying that on that day all those years ago, you.. you went to your mother in the Blood Mirror. You got in somehow.. was it Vlad?"

I shook my head.

"Then dad?"

I nodded.

"Did he know you couldn't get out?"

I shook my head.

"So you saw your mother in the lake.. did you mean to free her?"

"No"

"Were you tricked?"

I looked down, "Yes"

"She also got out somehow, how?"

"Count"

"Dad helped her, without realising?"

"Yes"  
"She shape-shifted into you, and foolishly died. Did you take her place in the pond?"

"Yes"

"How did you get out? One word"

"Vlad"

"When did Vlad get you out?"

"Yesterday"

"Did you travel from Australia then?"

"Yes"

"Now the important question. Why?"

I looked away and inhaled deeply.

"You"

* * *

**Ingrid Pov**

I put down the stake.

"Come in", I whispered fearfully.


	2. She's wrecked

**Malik Pov**

I walked into the living room that had changed considerably. When the Count used to mind the house, the house had looked rather impressive and stylish. However as I sat myself down on the sofa I saw the the room was quite a horrific sight.

Dirty glasses littered the floor and I saw smashed pieces of a photo frame tidied up carefully into one corner. The bin was overflowing with tissues and I saw three or four bottles of blood lying untidily on the tea table. A couple of chairs were upturned and I saw a knife lying carelessly on the floor. Cushions from the sofa were strewn about and the curtain was pulled down. I finally saw a bouquet of flowers whose petals had been torn off angrily.

I looked to Ingrid in shock as she sat down on the sofa as she took a sip of red blood from her glass, hands shaking.

Then I _really _looked at Ingrid.

She looked absolutely wrecked. Her usually sleek black hair was messy and greasy. Her face was so pale and bony she looked sickly. She didn't seem to have bothered to wear makeup and there were black and red rings around her eyes. Her usually impressive sense was lost as her clothes seemed to be too small to fit her and therefore she happened to reveal a lot of cleavage. She looked choked. I could clearly see cuts and bruises patterning her arms.

"What happened here?" I asked in shock. Ingrid looked up at me and I realised how sharp and blue her eyes were.

"Noth.."

"Don't. What.. Who did this to you?" I asked curiously, slightly worried and amazed.

Ingrid opened her mouth but no sound came out except an unexpected croak. She looked down and wrung her hands gasping and wheezing.

"Ingrid? Should I call someone.. Get some help?" I asked uncomfortably.

Ingrid looked up and shook her head adamantly almost as though she was scared.

"Ingrid?" I asked her confused yet somewhat unhappy as she looked down suddenly and her body started shaking. It was only after a while I realised she was crying, silently but she was still crying.

The glass in her hand burst and I could see her palms start to bleed. I never knew what to do when girls cried.

She looked up at me suddenly and gasped, "Go! Look just go to Australia and live with Vlad, go! Now!"

I was about to leave the room relieved as I was feeling rather uncomfortable. But then I found I couldn't. I turned around and sat back down on the sofa opposite her.

"No".

Ingrid looked up surprised but confused.

"I.. I can't leave you here" said a voice that didn't sound like mine. It was much more deeper. But from the look on Ingrid's face I realised that it certainly was mine.

"Yes you can. You did.. Before" she croaked and I saw how upset she looked.

Tears were streaming down her face and I lifted a hand to wipe them away.

"What are you doing?" she asked when I finished wiping.

"I don't really know myself" I said honestly, "but I do know that you are Ingrid Dracula. And Ingrid Dracula never cries"

She smiled weakly,"Yeah right"

"The real Ingrid Dracula would have never said that.." I said.

"She just did" came the reply and I looked up and we both smiled.

Then came a knock at the door. Ingrid's smile vanished immediately.

"Malik. Tell him I'm not here" she said and I understood.

* * *

It was that breather Piers. I felt a sudden urge to consume as I was starving.

"You? I thought you were dead. Oh no! Where's Ingrid? Ingrid!" He replied.

"She's not in" I replied.

"Liar. Let me in!"

"Nope"

"Well I don't know if she's told you but I'm her boyfriend and this is my house so..move" he replied.

"No" I replied surprised that Ingrid was actually serious with Piers and slightly envious.

"Ingrid!"

"She's not here, I told you"

Piers smirked, "She's right behind you"

I narrowed my eyes and I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"It's ok Malik, allow me"

I moved aside to let Piers in and was surprised when he was pushed out the house again.

"Ingrid please, you're wrecked, let me help you!" Piers protested.

"You? Help me? Just like you helped yourself to that breather girl? Get real", Ingrid snapped back and I was impressed.

"Look we talked about this, that was a mistake, I was drunk; you help yourself to any boy you meet why can't I?"

"Because I'm the vampire here and you're not. And it's for food, not for sex.. I've heard old little Jemma is now pregnant.. How lovely"

"She's not old! And she tricked me! It was the other way around.."

"Fuck off Piers. You know, I thought you might actually understand that, all I've wanted was to be happy and you've ruined it. Like all the others.."

"Look I'm sorry, you're right I'm wrong, can't we be friends at least?"

"You don't mean that. So no"

Ingrid shut the door and sighed.

"I'm going to have a shower".

She walked upstairs and I decided to start clearing up the house. Ingrid was starting to get herself together, and from some reason I was proud of her.


	3. Stereotypes

**Ingrid Pov**

Malik was cleaning. I watched him behind the bars of the stairs, sweeping and putting things in their place. It was no where near tidy, but it was a start. My hair was drenched and I couldn't be asked to dry it. He seemed determined to change this place back into its grand start. He caught me staring.

He went back to tidying but didn't say a word. Just smiled. I expected him to yell to help him, but he didn't. I was curious.

"Why are you helping me?"

He paused his work and shrugged for a second. I climbed down the stairs and stared at him arranging the cushions.

"We need to buy new ones.." Malik noted their awful state.

"Do you want anything to eat?" I asked casually.

"Yes, I'm starving" he said still working.

I ordered for pizza, and took out a few bottles of blood and some unbroken glasses. I told him to stop working and we sat down with our glasses.

"Pizza? Don't you hunt anymore?" he asked casually.

"I'm not really in the mood.." I replied.

Malik put down his glass seeming upset.

"What?"

"You shouldn't have let me in" he said, "Ingrid wouldn't do that. She'd make me pay.." Oh, okay, sorry Malik I can't be asked to be difficult right now, because I'm a complete mess.

"I let you in, you should be grateful!"

"You're a mess! What am I? The cleaner?" he asked angrily.

"You're meant to be my.." I paused. He weren't my brother.

"Brother?" he finished, "I don't know why I even came here"

"You came because of me" I reminded him, "And you have. You got me. Now what?"

I collected the pizza from the door. We ate ravenously, aware that our hunger was the only cause of our unusual appetite.

He was going to find a room to sleep.

"Wait.. Malik" I said.

He sat down beside me.

"Yeah I am a mess" I said, "But...I won't be for long. I'll get a job. Get this place looking great again, and I'll.. "

I struggled to think. How could I get a job? Working alongside those peasants, a night shift perhaps, using every inch of my body to not taste their hot boiling blood.

Malik gave me a look. Ask the High Council.. try and convince them to let a female have a job.

Nope, begging wasn't me.

"Maybe we should spend a week, decorating this place.. and I don't know go hunting every night" Malik suggested.

Seemed like a plan.

"Okay.. but in the meantime, what do we do? I know a few nightclubs.." I wondered, remembering how I'd met with loads of vampires and discovered the meaning of fun.

Fun.

Our night clubs, were classy. They were big events, and not a lot of loud screaming music, but more sharp violins and orchestras. Basically what you'd call a 'ball'. But only for young adults.. no one else.

You'd get a few partner dances, no one danced by themselves. But mostly you'd sit by the bar, drinking blood and listening to vampires hurl abuse at peasants.

It was entertaining, to say the least.

Malik stood up, "Let's go clubbing.."

We turned into bats and flew across the inky black sky. The adrenaline rush lifted my mood but as I tried to direct Malik he flew down and turned back into himself.

"You're not going dressed like that!" he looked up at me.

He pulled me into a high street shop. As we walked in, he pulled out a torch and shone them at various dresses. He even tried to fit himself in one and I laughed.

"Malik seriously.." I said but paused, as I heard footsteps.

Shoplifting was all fine and that, as long as you didn't get caught.

I pulled him into a dressing room and motioned for him to stay silent. I sniffed the air as Malik's fangs came out. A human. A frightened human.

"I know you're in there.." he spoke, without a hint of his internal fear in his voice. Malik and I simultaneously hung upside down as the shop keeper checked under the door. This was a bad idea.

"You can't keep hiding forever! You're on CCTV" he shouted.

I saw Malik get ready to yell back a comeback but I clamped my hand over his mouth and glared at him. Not yet. His eyes crinkled up with a smile, and as much as I didn't want to I smiled back.

I almost forgot what I was worried about. CCTV!

I whispered to Malik about the CCTV and he whispered back.

"Let's get rid of him first.."

I sighed, "No. CCTV first! Come on!"

We scuttled around for a bit, until we found the room. Lots of greyscale screens displayed different parts of the shop and we spotted the shopkeeper checking through the till, if there was any money stolen. I quickly erased our appearances in the tape and Malik chuckled when the scene with the shopkeeper walking past us hanging upside down, came up. I replaced it with another boring one of that same night.

Once we were out, I rolled my eyes, "We could have been caught!"

"So what? It's fun isn't it!" he replied.

"No it isn't! Prison isn't fun, Malik"

"How would you know?"

I started but paused.

"It's not right Malik. It's not nice.."

"_We're _not nice! What, has Piers brainwashed you or something..?!" he replied and I realised how uptight I was.

"You're right" I told him, "But let's go home for now, we'll come back tomorrow.."

He reluctantly agreed and we walked home in silence. I decided to stop off at a park and we sat on the swings.

* * *

**Malik Pov**

I watched her stare into the distance. It had been a long night for the both of us. She chuckled suddenly.

"What?"

"It's funny innit. You rise from the dead and start sweeping my house, and then try to steal a dress for me, but that fails and look here we are sitting on swings like teenagers. All we need now is some candyfloss and a small DMC and it'd be perfect!"

"Well.. I've got a bottle if that helps!" I suggested and she laughed.

"I still feel like a teenager though.." I said.

She gave me a look, "I don't blame you.. being locked up in that pond. Swimming every day with your fishy friends!"

I sniggered at the thought.

"You know something" she stated, "I don't even know if you are Malik.. or some evil assassin or both! But I don't care because either way, I'm not bored anymore. There's always going to be a story with you around."

I looked at her and without thinking kissed her quickly on the cheek.

She gave me a look, and in essence told me off by rambling.

However, I looked past the words. She still liked me. And I still liked her.


End file.
